As a Music student, you’ll flourish in the thriving arts environment of Amsterdam, a city known for its ability to embrace expressions of the human spirit.
Enrolling in the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, the largest and most diverse music conservatory in the Netherlands, integrates you fully into a specialized institution where you study with other students who are dedicated to the study of music.
The Conservatorium van Amsterdam takes full advantage of Amsterdam’s established reputation in music to offer outstanding instruction in classical and jazz music performance, theory, and composition. The Conservatorium is dedicated to upholding superior standards of teaching, performing, and creating music through a highly-individualized course of study. If you wish to study at the CvA, you should be a strong and independent Performance, Composition, or Theory major with the motivation and intention to become a professional musician, music scholar, or composer.
A member of the Amsterdam School of the Arts, the CvA was originally established as the Amsterdam Conservatorium in 1884. The vast majority of courses at the CvA are taught in English.
Finally, we want you to feel at home in Amsterdam, so we do everything we can to help you integrate into life abroad. We also take you on field trips to see some of the Netherlands’ great cities, such as Groningen and Maastricht.
After you are admitted, refer to the Travel Dates section of the Predeparture Information in your MyIESabroad account before booking travel.
IES Abroad’s mission is simple: to provide you with the best study abroad program possible—which includes the highest quality academic and cultural experiences. That is why we partnered with the Conservatorium van Amsterdam.
Conservatorium van Amsterdam www.ahk.nl/en/conservatorium The Conservatorium van Amsterdam takes full advantage of Amsterdam’s established reputation in music to offer outstanding instruction in classical and jazz music performance, theory, and composition. The Conservatorium is dedicated to upholding superior standards of teaching, performing, and creating music through a highly-individualized course of study. It aims to train you to become a versatile musician at the highest level of professional musicianship. If you wish to study at the CvA, you should be a strong Performance, Composition, or Theory major with the motivation and intention to become a professional musician, a music scholar, or a composer.
Courses In close consultation with our staff, you establish a personalized, full-time (15-credit) course of study that includes applied and theoretical aspects of music study with electives and optional courses. The mandatory practical component of the curriculum is a combination of one-on-one and small-group instruction.
Study includes highly-individualized lessons with a tutor and participation in an extensive chamber music and ensemble program, and culminates in final performances. Theoretical components aim at developing musical imagination and perception. Core subjects include offerings in ear training (aural skills courses), analysis, harmony, counterpoint, and composition.
CvA offers courses within the departments of Classical and Jazz:
Elective Courses The elective component includes additional performance and theory options. Within both the Classical and Jazz departments, elective courses are available in:
Optional IES Abroad Course You can choose to enroll in a 2-credit CU 101 Dutch language and culture course at the IES Abroad Center
Location Designed by Frits van Dongen and opened in 2008, the CvA’s building includes recital halls, classrooms, practice rooms, and offices. The facility is located in the center of Amsterdam, across the street from the Muziekgebouw, the purpose-built home of contemporary music and jazz in Amsterdam.
We want to make sure that your greatest challenge is deciding which landmarks to see first or discovering the best café—not finding a place to live where you feel comfortable. We do our best to locate housing that is reflective of how the local students are living. Our goal is that when you leave Amsterdam, it will feel like home.
As part of IES Abroad’s direct enrollment services, we arrange well-located, comfortable housing for all students because securing housing independently can be challenging. IES Abroad’s housing options reflect the local student culture and meet our safety and security standards.
You can choose from two different apartment options. Both options include an ensuite bathroom with shower.
Shared Studio Apartments Share a spacious double roomin a studio apartment with an IES Abroad student or another international student. Each room is equipped with a kitchenette. A resident assistant lives on-site
Residence Hall Live in a single room with a private bathroom. You share a kitchen with other students on your floor. The building features a 24-hour reception and a gym. This option carries an additional cost.
Meals are not included in either option, but you can cook your own meals or eat in nearby student canteens (Mensas) and restaurants.
Part of making you feel at home in Amsterdam is doing our best to help you feel safe and cared for. Whether it is an orientation program that makes you feel prepared, your housing that is well-located and comfortable, or the field trips that take you to places off the beaten path—we’re all about our student services.
The program begins with an orientation that introduces you to the IES Abroad Amsterdam staff, your fellow students, and the city of Amsterdam.
Our Comprehensive Orientation & Re-Entry Experience (CORE™) begins right when you arrive and continues through the semester with activities focusing on academic and cultural adjustment. Detailed information about housing, public transportation, culture, health and safety, and other important topics are also covered.
Following IES Abroad orientation, you participate in an orientation at your host institution to get to know the staff and facilities.
Local field trips and activities are also arranged, as well as an overnight orientation trip, where you’ll have the opportunity to further sample elements of Dutch culture and get to know the other students.
Redefine the way you live and learn in Amsterdam through cultural events, such as:
Even though your adventure starts in Amsterdam, our field trips take you beyond the city to discover the culture and traditions of your host country. These trips are subsidized by IES Abroad. Here are a few possible destinations:Island of Texel 2 Days | Fall Tour the island by bike, visit a seal rescue center, and take a trip on a shrimp boat.Maastricht 2 Days | Spring Explore the city and the famous caves of Limburg, and take a country walk in the beautiful hilly countryside.Rotterdam 1 Day| Fall & Spring See Rotterdam’s amazing modern architecture on a guided walking tour through this rebuilt city. In the afternoon, you can explore Rotterdam’s many museums.
About the Center
The IES Abroad Amsterdam Center is housed in the Oranje-Nassau Kazerne, former military barracks now turned into offices and apartments, and located across from the famous Artis Zoo. Features include: a small library, classroom space, staff offices, WiFi Internet access, and space for students to meet and study.
Chantal Omloo earned an M.A. in History of International Relations at the University of Utrecht and an MSc in Development Studies at the School for Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London. Her academic focus was centred on economic development in Sub Saharan Africa and she has published a number of articles in this field.
Prior to joining IES Abroad in 2001, Chantal worked for Voluntary Services Overseas (VSO), an NGO based in the United Kingdom. Chantal managed customized programs for IES Abroad out of the London Center before moving back to her native Netherlands to become our Amsterdam Center Director.
IES Abroad Staff Anabelle GouletteStudent Affairs and Office Coordinator
Diana KaekebekeAcademic and Student Affairs Coordinator
Faculty Depending on your program, you will be taught by faculty from the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, Gerrit Rietveld Academie, Vrije Universiteit, the Universiteit van Amsterdam or IES Abroad.
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